KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eduardo Rodriguez was certainly the center of attention for trade deadline shoppers Wednesday.
And the Tigers’ lefty, expected to be coveted by pitching-lacking contenders, did not disappoint.
He had one minor hiccup in an otherwise dominant seven-inning performance, putting the Tigers in position to beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 at Kauffman Stadium.
In his third start back after missing more than a month with a finger injury, Rodriguez set down the first 13 hitters of the game before giving up a one-out single to Matt Duffy in the fifth.
Michael Massey and left-handed hitting Kyle Isbel followed with RBI doubles.
That was the only smear on Rodriguez’s ledger. He allowed only one other hit, didn’t issue a walk (though he hit Duffy with an 0-2 pitch in the seventh), and he struck out seven.
It was the best version of Rodriguez. He was commanding four pitches – four-seam, sinker, changeup and cutter – in all quadrants of the plate. The changeup was especially important for him with the Royals stacking their lineup with seven right-handed hitters.
He got three swinging strikes, a called strike and five softly hit ball (average exit velocity of 75.8 mph) with his changeup.
The Royals whiffed on 15 of their 51 swings at Rodriguez’s four-seamer.
He needed only 89 pitches to finish seven innings. Efficient and effective.
Jason Foley pitched a scoreless eighth and Kansas City-area native Alex Lange locked down the ninth and secured his 16th save. But there was drama.
First he got an assist from shortstop Javier Báez. After Lange hit Salvador Perez to start the inning, Báez scooped Lange's low throw to second out of the dirt and completed a 1-6-3 double-play on pinch-hitter Nicky Lopez.
But Lange walked Michael Massey on four pitches and gave up a single to Drew Waters. With runners at first and third and two outs, he struck out Kyle Isbel.
The Tigers’ hitters spent the better part of six innings trying to time up soft-tossing lefty Ryan Yarbrough. He didn’t throw a single pitch firmer than 87 mph. His average velocity on the 79 pitches he threw was under 80 (79.6).
It didn’t bother Báez much. He blasted a changeup 409 feet into the seats in left-center in the second inning. It was his seventh home run of the season and his first since July 2.
Left-handed hitting Riley Greene wasn’t much bothered, either. He rapped two singles and a double off Yarbrough. His double ignited a two-run sixth inning.
Another left-handed hitter, Kerry Carpenter singled Greene home.
Yarbrough went 3-0 on Báez but winced noticeably after the third pitch. He came out of the game with what the Royals later said was a left hamstring strain. He was replaced at that point by hard-throwing right-hander Carlos Hernandez.
Talk about having to make a quick adjustment. They went from seeing 80 mph pitches to 98-, 99-, 100-mph fire.
Again, not a complete bother for the Tigers. Báez ended up walking and with two outs, Miguel Cabrera, old reliable, lined a 1-2, 100-mph heater into right-center. His single scored Carpenter with what ended up being the winning hit.
